After a long wait, Assistant Labour Commissioner (ALC) S.P. Singh issued a notice to the management asking them for a clarification. He said that he would be submitting a report to the Labour Commissioner.

Yesterday, representatives of the hospital management and karamchari union attended a meeting in the office of Deputy Labour Commissioner K.R. Sawhney. At the meeting it was mutually decided that the hospital would be reopened and the status as on August 30 -- a day before work was suspended in the hospital by the management -- would be restored.

As part of this agreement, all employees suspended or terminated after August 30 would be reinstated and negotiations on any other demands would continue.

Accordingly, ALC Singh and three inspectors from the department arrived at the hospital gate at 10 am. While all the employees were present on the premises, no member from the management arrived. Instead, word was sent to the ALC that the management feared that they would be attacked by the workers if they entered the premises.

Subsequently, at around 10.30 a.m. a letter was delivered to the general-secretary of the karamchari union, Vijender Singh, asking for a written guarantee that there would be no violence. Dated October 27, the letter stated: ``We are sensing violence and grave risk to the lives of the managers, executives and as such would advice you to confirm in writing that all employees including your accomplices, outsiders, dismissed or suspended employees, their family members have vacated the hospital premises and are not available in the hospital''.

The letter further stated that only those employees ``who will be authorised by the management shall enter the hospital premises for performance of duties as assigned to them''. It even asked for a written confirmation that ``all material like lathis, brickbats, arms and ammunition'' has been removed from the premises.

Indignant workers termed this letter as an ``attempt to stall'' the opening of the hospital. ``All these objections are being raised despite the fact that at yesterday's meeting we told them that they could body search every employee who walked into the hospital,'' says Umesh Sharma, counsel's lawyer.

Sharma adds that the management was also told that there would be no pending demands from the karamcharis since they were already fighting the matter in court. At present, both parties have filed petitions in court.